The present invention relates to providing position or location information over the Internet and in particular to communicating the position or location information sensed at an Internet node, via an Internet protocol.
A number of systems have been developed or proposed for sensing global position or location. A commonly-used system is a satellite-based system known as the global positioning system (GPS). Many GPS systems use the position information locally (i.e. without communicating to a remote site). Examples include a hand-held GPS display which senses the location of the display and displays location information. Another example relates to various automobile navigation systems which include on-board computing or database information with the sensed vehicle location being used for displaying the position or location, e.g., on a map display. Other systems may communicate information based on sensed position to a remote site, but typically using non-Internet and/or proprietary communication systems or protocols. For example, some vehicle GPS systems use a cellular telephone communication or similar system to transmit location information, e.g., to an emergency response center, e.g., in case of an air bag deployment or the like.
The use of cellular telephone, proprietary and/or other non-Internet systems or protocols for communicating position information are believed to have a number of undesirable effects. Typically, such non-Internet systems are configured for only a single use or purpose. Accordingly, an owner of a car having a navigation system which sends emergency location information may need to purchase yet another system if it is desired, e.g. to use the services of a company which tracks vehicles that have been stolen. Such situation not only potentially requires a user to buy two separate hardware and software systems for two different purposes, but also presents a potential for each system transmitting substantially the same position information using two different channels or formats, thus occupying bandwidth for transmitting what is essentially redundant information.
Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system method and apparatus for using the Internet to communicate position information, e.g., so as to make position information available for use by multiple different entities, or for multiple different functions, and/or to reduce or eliminate redundancy in communication of position information, potentially avoiding wastage of bandwidth.
In order for any type or category of information to be transmitted over the Internet, the transmission must comply with standard protocols, in particular, one or more of various Internet protocols (IP) e.g., defined by the Network Working Group, or other standards organizations. Thus, one of the barriers of current position communication systems is that typically, as noted above, different systems use different communication protocols. Accordingly, it will be useful to provide positioning information protocols of a type that can facilitate Internet communication of positioning information. On the other hand, there is already an installed base of positioning devices and procedures which may use formats and the like which are different from one another. Furthermore, even future-developed position communication systems may find it advantageous to provide for two or more different position information or formats (e.g. some systems may function most readily when information is in latitude/longitude format while others may function most readily using country/state/county-based systems, telephone area code systems and the like). Accordingly, it would be useful to provide an Internet protocol which is sufficiently uniform to make it feasible for communication over the Internet, and to make it feasible for use by multiple different parties, while still accommodating multiple different types or formats of positioning information.
At least one system has been proposed as providing for addressing and routing based on a global positioning system (see, for example, Network Working Group requests for comment (RFC) Number 2009). Such a system is primarily concerned with the sending of communications to a node based on the position or location of the node. However, using position information for routing or addressing of information does not, in itself, solve problems associated with a need for using and/or displaying positioning information at a remote site and/or for two-way communication of positioning information (as opposed to using positioning only for addressing and routing). Furthermore, systems which use positioning information for addressing and routing, use the information only when there is a communication to be addressed or routed and, accordingly, substantially do not address problems which may involve a need for periodic, frequent and/or continuous communication of a node""s position to a remote location. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system which is configured for uses other than routing and addressing, such as systems which provide for two-way communication of positioning information and/or systems which provide periodic, frequent or continuous updates of position information.
Although numerous benefits can be provided from a system for Internet communication of positioning information, many users may also have privacy concerns such as wishing to restrict the entities who may receive and/or use position information. On the other hand, certain uses (e.g. notification of emergency services in response to an accident) may be severely compromised if positioning information is (possibly inadvertently) disabled. Moreover, it is anticipated that different users and/or purposes for positioning information may have different preferences or needs. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system in which the entities who can receive the position information, and/or the uses that can be made of the position information, can be defined, limited or restricted, preferably under the control of the user and preferably in such a fashion as to avoid inadvertent compromising of certain (e.g. emergency or other critical) functions. Additionally, it is anticipated that users will wish to avoid the potential for any persons other than authorized persons to redefine the authorized recipients and the like. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system which facilitates security of recipient definition, authorizational definitions or similar definitions or choices.
The present invention includes a recognition of the existence, nature and/or source of problems of previous approaches, including as described herein. According to one aspect, a real-time positioning protocol (RPP) is provided as an Internet protocol (IP) to facilitate, and make it feasible, to provide effective, preferably two-way, communication of global positioning or other positioning or location information over the Internet. In one embodiment, the protocol couples the position information with time information, e.g. to permit calculation of velocity, routes and the like. In one embodiment, the RPP is defined so as to accommodate two or more different positioning information formats preferably to provide compatibility with at least some existing formats used in non-Internet communication systems. In one embodiment, a system is configured such that, during at least certain times and/or under at least certain circumstances (preferably directly or indirectly controllable by the user) the system will, substantially periodically, transmit position information over the Internet. Although position information packets may be addressed to a recipient, preferably some or all packets can be configured in a xe2x80x9cbroadcastxe2x80x9d fashion, e.g. to be available to all interested recipients.
In one embodiment, position information is encrypted in a fashion so as to be useful only to authorized recipients. In one embodiment, end users may define recipients or classes of recipients who are authorized and/or may define one or more recipients as being blocked, preferably definable as a function of time and/or location.
By providing a protocol which makes position information communication feasible for the Internet, a single system for communicating position information can be used for any of numerous different uses or functions, at relatively low cost and without unnecessarily consuming bandwidth. Although many functions or uses for the information are possible, and will be understood by those of skill in the art after understanding the present invention, illustrative examples include remote control of appliances, vehicles, robots and the like, switching of rail lines or other transportation switching or routing systems, location of military or police weaponry, personnel, or similar resources, tracking of packages, recovery of stolen vehicles or other items, locating sites of accidents, lost persons and the like, tracking wildlife (e.g. for research and the like), locating lost pets; car, ship, aircraft or other vehicle navigation; and/or for child location and/or safety purposes.
In one aspect, Internet nodes having global positioning receivers or the like are configured for communicating position information over the Internet, using an Internet protocol (IP). Preferably, information packets according to the protocol include some or all of a source identifier, a time stamp and/or an indicator of the type or format of the position information. Preferably, end-users may provide for encryption, passwords or other features for controlling the entities which can receive or use the position information.